How will I benefit?

Ultimately, it depends upon the final design selected by the community. However, of the remaining design choices, the following is possible:

As a pedestrian, you will have continuous sidewalks throughout the corridor and shorter distances for street crossing.

As a cyclist, you will have on-street bike lanes, with the possibility of a protected lane.

As a public transit user, you will have enhanced transit stop infrastructure, such as covered bus shelters and a dedicated public transit lane.

As a driver, you will have improved driving lanes, the addition of on-street parking, and a dedicated High Occupancy Vehicle Lane.

How will the project be funded?

Implementation of the Locally Acceptable Alternative will likely be funded using a variety of sources, including MDOT state transportation funds, federal transportation grants, and local assistance dollars. A major goal of this project is to balance the scale of the design recommendations with cost sensitive options to ensure that the Locally Acceptable Alternative is competitive for funding and construction.

What is a PEL study?

PEL studies are typically used to identify transportation issues while considering environmental concerns in a corridor or a specific location. PEL studies can be used to make planning decisions. For example, these decisions can be used to identify and prioritize future projects, develop the purpose and need for a project, determine project size or length, and/or develop and refine a range of alternatives. PEL studies should be able to link planning to environmental issues and result in useful information that can be carried forward into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. 

The PEL study will: 

• Consider environmental, community, and economic goals early in the transportation planning process. 

• Use the information analysis and recommendations to inform the environmental review process. 

• Evaluate the condition, geometric/safety, and operational needs. 

What happens after the PEL study is completed? 

Following the completion of the PEL Study, the project will move forward to either the Preliminary Engineering or Environmental Analysis phase. Assuming a Categorical Exclusion (CE) is determined for Washtenaw Avenue, the project will move into the detailed design, engineering, and construction phases. If any environmental impacts are found through the PEL study, a more detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Assessment may be needed to document those potential impacts to the surrounding environment and community.

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